Mariano, Benjo T.

BSMA 4A

I. Database

A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily accessed,

managed and updated.

Data is organized into rows, columns and tables, and it is indexed to make it easier to find relevant
information. Data gets updated, expanded and deleted as new information is added. Databases
process workloads to create and update themselves, querying the data they contain and running
applications against it.

II. Types of Database

Generally, databases can be categorized on the basis of number of users, location, form of data
saved in it, etc. Generally, all of the databases fall in one of these types:

Document Oriented Database – This database is free from any type of strict schema. It does not
store data in the form of data table, but in the form of text records. This type of database is
suitable for storing dynamic data. CouchDB and RavenDB are examples of document databases.
It is useful for an application which is document-based. Documents are encoded using some
standard formats.

Embedded Database – An embedded database runs within an application, and therefore it does
not run as a separate application. Unlike general purpose databases, this database is embedded
as in line code or linked library. It saves time wasted on issues related to installations or
maintenance. These types of databases are generally found in the set-top boxes, mobile phones,
etc. RDM server and RDM Embedded are examples of these types of databases.

Graph Database – It is based on the relationship of resources with each other, and no particular
resource has any essential importance on the other. These types of graphs help in storing data
for a dynamic schema. It provides index free adjacency. In this graph database, each vertex works
as a mini index for its adjacent elements. Info grid type of graph database should be preferred
for model flexibility.

Hypertext Database – These types of databases are used for organizing a large sum of dissimilar
information. The type of information is not devised for carrying out numerical analysis. An object
is linked with any other object in a hypertext type of database. This kind of database system was
invented by Ted Nelson. They are preferred for maintaining online encyclopedias. Unlike
traditional databases, it has no regular structure, and therefore the user can reach to the desired
information through different ways.
Operational Database – It contains data related to the operations going on in an organization or
enterprise. Some of the main information it contains are regarding information of employees,
data describing transactions, etc. This type of database is updated regularly. It works on the same
approach as OLTP. The focus of this database is to record current data. It is often differentiated
with the data warehouse.

Distributed Database - It consists of a set of databases which are located on different computers,
but all these data bases work as one database logically. Therefore, the data can be accessed and
modified simultaneously with the help of a network. It is controlled by a local DBMS. It is
important to maintain consistency while dealing with this type of arrangement.

Flat-File Database – These are data files in which records hold no structured relationship.
Additional information is often required for understanding or interpreting these files. In simple
language, if we have one table in a database, it will be referred to as a flat file database. It is
useful for storing a small amount of records. A spreadsheet application like Excel works as a flat
file database.

References:

https://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/definition/database

http://www.differencebetween.info/different-types-of-database